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Louisville's Preservation Master Plan simplifies historic landmarking

Digital walking tour of city's landmarks coming this spring

By Whitney Bryen

Staff Writer

Posted:
01/08/2016 06:20:21 PM MST

Updated:
01/11/2016 10:50:06 AM MST

onstruction worker Jim Otloe begins lifting the south section of the Louisville Grain Elevator with a 7,500 pound screw jack in March 2014. It is one of the properties undergoing historic preservation. (David R. Jennings / Staff photographer)

About 30 historic landmarks are scattered across Louisville but the city's first Preservation Master Plan aims to make the process more accessible for residents beginning this year.

Three ordinances will go into effect next week birthed from the plan, which was adopted by City Council in October.

Lauren Trice, the city's historic preservation professional, said the ordinances streamline public notice for landmarking hearings and reduce requirements for demolition review making the process quicker and easier for about half of the city's applicants.

"They're very technical," Trice said of the ordinances. "But the goal is to make it easier for folks to access and apply for landmarking."

The D'Agostino House, 1245 Grant Ave.,is one Louisville home that was designated a historical landmark since the city passed a preservation tax in 2008. (Not Provided / Longmont Times-Call)

Public notices will be distributed in line with other public hearings, including yellow signs posted around town and mailed notices to neighbors who live near the property in question, Trice said.

The remaining two ordinances allow applicants to bypass demolition review — one of many steps in the landmarking process — if the property was built after 1955 or if the roof, doors or windows were replaced after 1955.

Trice said the policies will make the process quicker and easier for about 50 percent of applicants.

All restoration projects will still require building permits, Trice said.

Landmarks must be at least 50 years old and meet the city's criteria for architectural, social or environmental significance.

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For nearly a decade, Louisville's Historic Preservation efforts have provided a template for surrounding communities, like Erie where an Old Town home was the first landmarked residence in October.

At the top of the city's cutting-edge efforts is a historic preservation fund supported by ⅛ of a percent of the city's sales tax. Voters approved the measure in 2008.

The fund supports incentives for landmarked properties, which Trice credits as one of the most successful features of the city's preservation program. Voluntary landmarking is also key to the popularity of the city's program, she said.

The Preservation Master Plan is the next step in improving local preservation efforts.

"What it really boils down to is we want to try to simplify it for people," Trice said. "We're even updating our forms to make them easier for people to read. Anything we can do to make it more accessible."

Mark Zaremba, who owns the first commercial property to be landmarked in Louisville, applauds the city's efforts to streamline the process.

"Everyone we worked with at the city and preservation commission were awesome," Zaremba said. "That said, we were the archetype and there were some painful moments as we were all learning what was going on."

Zaremba filed the landmarking application for 927 Main Street about four years ago, which was occupied by his graphic design company. Zaremba's company moved to a new location nearby and Yoga Junction took over the space in October.

The building was constructed in 1892 and inhabited by a local jeweler and maker of eyeglasses before its run as an Italian grocery store and then a laundromat.

Despite the sometimes "painful moments," Zaremba stuck with it and eventually received the landmark designation and restored the exterior to its original grandeur including large windows and original siding.

The city's visionary approach to preservation continues with a digital walking tour of the 30 landmarks, including Zaremba's building, 740 Front an American Dining Saloon and the Louisville grain elevator where renovations are underway.

The tour will feature a map of landmarks, historic photos and descriptions, Trice said. She is hoping to launch the tour this spring.

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